THE CALL OF THE WILD

A recent assignment taught me that I could find a whole world of wildlife within most city limits with little effort and local introspection. I'm not, of course, speaking about zoos. - Mark Edward Harris

- MARK EDWARD HARRIS

My epiphany came in Lubbock, Texas, home to the legendary Buddy Holly. While they can't hold a tune as well as the guitarist and songwriter, Lubbock's prairie dogs are constantly belting out songs of their own in Prairie Dog Town, a protected area established in the 1930s by early conservationists Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy Clapp. In my own backyard of Los Angeles, Griffith Park, which dates back over a century, is home to a wide range of wildlife from deer to mountain lions.

Overseas I've seen the same successes of early conservation efforts by people long gone. So while human expansion has led to conflicts where wildlife inevitably loses, we also have the ability to help our fellow creatures.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I rediscovered what a great resource America's National Park System is for all visitors, especially my fellow lensmen and lenswomen...Every country on the planet offers its own unique fauna, so while most of us have to stay within our borders during the pandemic, there's little excuse for not keeping our cameras active.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I rediscovered what a great resource America's National Park System is for all visitors, especially my fellow lensmen and lenswomen. Many have year-round photo opportunities, while others have specific time periods for the most sought-after photo ops. For example, every July, during the peak of the annual salmon spawning migration in Alaska's Katmai National Park, brown bears make their way to Brooks Falls to fish for their favorite meal. While most bears stay at the bottom of the falls and pin to the river floor the salmon that miss their attempts at jumping the cascading water, a few venture to the top and attempt to catch their prey in a midflight.